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Apparently in the 1900s the notion of a pre-emptive strike against German ships moored in Kiel and Wilhelmshaven was mooted on more than one occasion by elements in the British Admiralty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_German_Navy#1897_to_1906_Tirpitz_and_the_Navy_Bills
Tirpitz’s ultimate goal was a fleet capable of rivaling the Royal Navy. As British public opinion was turned against Germany, Admiral Sir John Fisher twice – in 1904 and 1908 – proposed using Britain’s current naval superiority to 'Copenhagen' the German fleet, that is, to launch pre-emptive strikes against the Kiel and Wilhelmshaven naval bases as the Royal Navy had done against the Danish navy in 1801 and 1807."
What if the madmen actually did it and had a shot at blowing up the entire German Fleet? Would they succeed, or could the Germans retreat and regroup for some sort of counter-engagement? My bets are that an attack in 1904 would be a smashing British victory, while 1908 would be a considerably-less-than-smashing one that sees high British casualties but nonetheless leaves the Germans with a bloody nose. Would this seriously rile the Germans up, and full-scale war? If so, who would be fighting it?
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